May 31 – July 28th, 2012

Akbank Sanat

İstiklal Cad. No:8 34435 Beyoğlu-İstanbul

Turkey

http://www.akbanksanat.com/en

Curator: Hasan Bülent Kahraman

It’s the Political Economy, Stupid

Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki, Greece

(Warehouse B1 Thessaloniki port area)

June 27th – September 30th, 2012

It’s the Political Economy, Stupid

Curated by Gregory Sholette and Oliver Ressler

January 24 – April 22, 2012

Opening Reception: Mon. Jan 23, 6 – 8 PM

IWT has responded to the latest economic disaster by collectively re-envisioning an iconic image from the last fiscal crisis. In the mid-1970s the United States federal government initially refused to assist a then bankrupt New York City until austerity measures were put in place severely curbing spending on public schools, hospitals, libraries, and public transportation. Many see President Gerald Ford’s decision as a punishing, first step towards the adoption of neoliberalism, the radically deregulated economic model responsible for the global financial meltdown of 2008. Wishing artists and policy makers more, rather than less wishful historical thinking, IWT’s Agents offer Post-Fordist Variations, a suite of substitute mementos based on the infamous October 25^th, 1975 New York Daily Newsheadline: “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Austrian Cultural Forum New York

11 East 52nd Street

New York, NY 10022

http://www.acfny.org

Download Press Release

Agent Karl Lorack

Ford to City: Drop Dead, 2012,  Metal and cast resin

Agent Maureen Connor

http://www.susankirbyart.com

http://www.maureenconnor.net/

 

Agent Andrea DeFelice

http://andreadefelice.squarespace.com/

A custom two-panel acrylic fixture with drawing and mixed media. The back panel features drawings of the national animals of the Eurozone countries, and a dropped phoenix is drawn on the fore-panel. Both panels sandwich a built-in light to illuminate the media.

Ford to City: Drop Dead, 2012, Metal and cast resin

IWT has responded to the latest economic disaster by collectively re-envisioning an iconic image from the last fiscal crisis. In the mid-1970s the United States federal government initially refused to assist a then bankrupt New York City until austerity measures were put in place severely curbing spending on public schools, hospitals, libraries, and public transportation. Many see President Gerald Ford’s decision as a punishing, first step towards the adoption of neoliberalism, the radically deregulated economic model responsible for the global financial meltdown of 2008. Wishing artists and policy makers more, rather than less wishful historical thinking, IWT’s Agents offer Post-Fordist Variations, a suite of substitute mementos based on the infamous October 25^th, 1975 New York Daily News headline: “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Drop Dead, 2011, Black enamel on black lucite,  25 x 20.5 inches

This project offered a unique challenge for me. As an artist who generally communicates through abstraction, I was forced to work within the confines of the group’s agreed constraints while still staying true to my aesthetic sensibility. After a few weeks of planning, my original ideas evolved and ultimately culminated in a piece that combines aggressive language with subtle use of material.

http://matthewjmahler.com/

Each card has information about the person, a quote and a qr code that directs to a wiki set up for each person. The cards are printed on recycled file folders.

Nathania Rubin, The Jowl Brigade, 2012, Hand-drawn animation on video made by drawing and erasing with graphite on paper.

The Jowl Brigade from Nathania Rubin on Vimeo.

The movie depicts Ford from the famous Daily News cover morphing into a succession of faces belonging to subsequent international players in the neoliberal landscape.

Those whose physiognomies have been appropriated as members of the Jowl Brigade are:

Gerald Ford

Milton Friedman

Ronald and Nancy Reagan

George Bush, Jr.

Brian Cowen

George Papendreou

Silvio Berlusconi

Margaret Thatcher

Tony Blair

Geert Wilders

http://www.nathaniarubin.com/